By Nicola Caul Shelley, Synergy Design & Construction

They make it look so easy. The reality TV shows where they “take out a few walls” and suddenly the whole space is transformed.

It isn’t as straightforward as they make it sound, but it is incredible what opening up a floor plan can do in terms of making a home feel more spacious — without the expense of an addition to do it!

The traditional way of building homes was to have defined rooms with specific functions. The Kitchen. The Dining Room. The Family Room. The Office. This creates smaller rooms with lots of walls and doors which can result in dark corners and little used rooms. There is a lot to be said for a more open concept, but more important than this is the ‘flow’ of a home.

Spaces should feel like you easily move from one to another, and not feel ‘chopped up’ with bonus rooms or spaces that just don’t make sense and are a waste of valuable square footage. A more open flow also completely changes how you feel about your home.

It will come as no surprise then that the number one request we get from homeowners is to help ‘open up’ and improve the flow of their space, especially when it comes to the Kitchen/Living/Dining rooms. Most homes built in the last decade come with an open concept, but with very few new builds in the Reston and Herndon area, the home remodels we tend to work on span from the original homes of the Lake Anne community (shout out to our Waterview Cluster clients!) to homes built in the 90s onwards that missed the ‘open concept’ wave.

A word of caution: open plan living isn’t for everyone. There are factors such as load bearing walls (which add time and expense to any remodel) that need to be taken into consideration. There is a happy medium. In this month’s featured project, we’ll show you how we changed the configuration of the main level of a local Herndon home and opened up the floor plan without making it completely open concept.

The single family home is in a great location and has plenty of room, but the main level configuration just wasn’t working for our clients. We partnered with them to not only improve the curb appeal, but also change the flow of the entire first floor. The main level of the home now makes much more “sense” and the spaces flow seamlessly from one to another. You can see more photos of this amazing transformation here.

If you’re thinking of a home remodel but just don’t know where to start, we’re here to help you get unstuck! We’re always happy to help homeowners understand their options and get the right fit for their remodel. Ready to chat? Get in touch!

This is a sponsored column by attorneys John Berry and Kimberly Berry of Berry & Berry, PLLC, an employment and labor law firm located in Northern Virginia that specializes in federal employee, security clearance, retirement and private sector employee matters.

By Melissa L. Watkins, Esq.

Failing to accommodate an employee based on their religious beliefs can be costly for an employer.

Recently, a hotel dishwasher in Miami was awarded $21.5 million in damages after her employer refused to grant a religious accommodation, requiring that she work on Sundays and eventually terminating her. While the employee will not likely be able to recover this amount due to a cap on punitive damages, the award demonstrates the courts and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC’s) heightened attention to employers’ obligation to adequately respond to employees’ requests for religious accommodations.

Religious Discrimination and Title VII

Title VII of the U.S. Code protects workers from employment discrimination based on their religion. The law forbids discrimination in any aspect of employment, including hiring, firing, pay, job assignments, promotions, training, benefits and other terms and conditions of employment. Title VII requires reasonable accommodation of an employee’s sincerely held religious beliefs, observances, and practices when requested.

The need for religious accommodation most often arises where an individual’s religious beliefs, observances, or practices conflict with a specific task or requirement of the job or application process. Accommodation requests often relate to work schedules, dress, grooming, or religious expression or practice while at work.

The prohibition on religious discrimination and the requirement for reasonable accommodation apply whether an employee’s religious views are mainstream or non-traditional, and even if the views are not recognized by an organized religion. An employer cannot require that an employee provide documentation from an established religious congregation.

Under Title VII, employers are required to accommodate the religious practices of their employees unless a requested accommodation can be shown to be an undue hardship. An accommodation may cause undue hardship if it is costly, compromises workplace safety, decreases workplace efficiency, infringes on the rights of other employees, or requires other employees to do more than their share of potentially hazardous or burdensome work. However, customer preferences or even the anticipated loss of business are not considered undue hardships.

How Religious Discrimination Claims are Established

In order to establish a claim of discrimination for an employer’s failure to grant a religious accommodation, employees generally need to show that the following:

(1) he or she has a bona fide religious belief, the practice of which conflicted with their employment

(2) he or she informed the agency/employer of this belief and conflict

(3) the agency/employer nevertheless enforced its requirement against the employee

Contact Us

If you are in need of employment law representation or advice, please contact our office at 703-668-0070 or through our contact page to schedule a consultation. Please also visit and like us on Facebook or Twitter.

By Wayne M. Zell, Esq., of Zell Law, PLLC, an estate and business planning law firm located in Northern Virginia that focuses on helping clients realize their dreams of wealth and freedom.

Recently-enacted legislation known as the SECURE Act (the “Act”) would severely limit the use of stretch IRAs and will cause many individuals to amend their estate planning documents and retirement planning generally.

On the positive side, the Act permits individuals to defer required minimum distributions and make tax deductible contributions until age 72. In addition, individuals with 529 plans would be able to withdraw up to $10,000 to pay down student loans, which will help reduce the student loan epidemic nationwide.

Another upside is that the bill allows new parents to withdraw up to $5,000 without being penalized from their IRAs or 401(k) plans to help defray birth and adoption expenses. Also, employers would be permitted to offer annuities as an investment option in their employer-sponsored 401(k) plans and would receive a $500 tax credit for automatically enrolling new employees and up to a $5,000 credit for plan startup costs.

The Act increases the cap on automatically raising payroll contributions from 10 to 15 percent of an employee’s gross paycheck. Enactment of these incentives would come at significant cost for many taxpayers, and the price tag may far outweigh the Act’s benefits.

To pay for the incentives, the Act will raise over $15.7 billion over the next decade by requiring IRAs and other qualified retirement plans to be liquidated within 10 years following the death of the plan participant.

Significant exceptions to the mandatory distribution rule are available for surviving spouses, minors, disabled and chronically ill individuals, and certain other limited situations.

Many of you may have elected to use a “conduit trust” through which IRA and other retirement plan benefits flow following the death of a surviving spouse. Alternatively, you may have simply designated your children or grandchildren as beneficiaries of the retirement accounts. In most cases, these beneficiary designations will require that by the 10th year following the surviving spouse’s death, all the funds must be paid to the designated beneficiary (i.e., usually, the surviving children or other designated beneficiary).

This may not meet your estate planning goals and therefore may require amending your trusts or beneficiary designations. To minimize the income tax on the funds that pass to that trust, you should talk to your accountant regarding the value of converting all or a portion of your IRAs, destined for your children or grandchildren or trusts for their benefit, to a Roth IRA.

You also may want to discuss the extent to which any of your IRAs are payable to an accumulation trust for your children or grandchildren. When the IRA is paid to an accumulation trust over the 10-year period of time, it is very likely that substantial wealth will be trapped in the trust and taxed at the highest trust income tax rate.

Again, to overcome this you may want to examine the utility of Roth conversions prior to your deaths. Conversely, the use of accumulation trusts may make sense if you desire to protect the IRA assets from your beneficiaries’ creditors.

Roth conversions and other strategies may make sense in light of the change in law imposed under the SECURE Act. In addition, the delay in the required minimum distribution date (from 70-1/12 years to 72 years) and the revised life expectancy tables under new Treasury regulations make planning for retirement assets more complex than ever and will require input of your estate planning team members.

For more information on this very important topic, please email me at [email protected] or click here to receive our SPECIAL REPORT on the SECURE ACT.

Meet Zema, a young tricolor Beagle available for adoption locally.

Here is what her friends at Beagle Rescue Education and Welfare Inc have to say about her:

Zema is a 2-year-old spayed beagle mix.

We discovered she loves her humans, but we think she would do better in a home with no other dogs. She doesn’t like other dogs competing for snuggle time!

She is a true adventuress who is supremely happy riding around in the car or hiking in the woods.

Are you and Zema a match? If so, let us know and our sponsor, Becky’s Pet Care, will send you some treats and prizes.

Forty years ago, Reston Community Center opened its doors to the people of still-young Reston.

During that time, Reston has grown from a community of about 26,000 to nearly four times that number — and growing — as it welcomes transit-oriented development with Metro’s Silver Line.

How should RCC grow along with the community to best serve Reston in the 2020s and beyond? RCC formally asked residents that in 2019, when it contracted the University of Virginia’s Center for Survey Research to conduct a comprehensive community survey.

Restonians can learn the initial results of that survey, as well as participate in discussions about RCC’s future priorities at a special event, RCC: Past and Future, on Monday, February 10 at 6:30 p.m. at RCC Hunters Woods.

The evening will include hospitality and community conversation for residents and employees of Small District 5 (Reston). The agenda of this special annual joint Community Relations and Program/Policy Committees meeting includes a screening of an entertaining short film about RCC’s first 40 years; the presentation on the results of the 2019 RCC Community Survey; and facilitated discussion on four important RCC strategic planning pillars (Facilities, Community Building, Programs and Communications).

RCC convenes the Community Relations and Program/Policy committees jointly each February to hear from its stakeholders and partners. This year will be a special gathering not just for the anniversary celebration, but so RCC’s Board of Governors and staff members can gather feedback as the agency looks toward 2021, when the next five-year strategic plan will be adopted.

“We conclude our present five-year strategic plan in 2021,” said Beverly Cosham, RCC Board of Governors Chair. “Our approach typically overlaps the final year of one strategic plan with the engagement process to find out what is on our community’s minds that will shape the next one. This year, we look back to acknowledge the tremendous impact of Reston creating its community center in the image of the community and what that meant for the past 40 years.”

RCC Executive Director Leila Gordon says this is a crucial time in Reston — and RCC’s — growth. She is hoping for significant community turnout in order to hear and record opinions from a broad cross-section of Reston.

“We know that people want to discuss a possible performing arts venue; development of an online community calendar; partner challenges and other specific issues,” said Gordon. “This event is an opportunity to share views on those topics.”

Advance registration is requested. RCC will be providing translation support (Chinese, Arabic, Spanish and Russian) and offering childcare for busy families with children ages 6 to 12. Please RSVP at [email protected].

Those who want to take advantage of the childcare option must complete a registration form for their children.

The registration process will enable RCC to keep participants informed about the planning progress through the next several months. Interested patrons with questions can also direct them to [email protected].

Meet Vixey, a young black Domestic Short Hair female available for adoption locally.

Here is what her friends at Little Buddies Adoption and Humane Society have to say:

A sweet kitten. She has really come out of her shell in the last few weeks.

She came to Little Buddies a painfully shy little girl. It could be thanks to the charm of her fellow foster, Sleeve, or just growing up a bit.

She is much playful and very active. She enjoys running, leaping and pouncing her foster mate as well as simply entertaining herself with a toy.

She is not one to be held but she is affectionate — just on her terms — after play time.

Vixey has an absolutely stunning, shiny black coat (these photos do not capture it). It is no wonder black cats have been revered for centuries around the world.

Are you and Vixey a match? If so, let us know and our sponsor, Becky’s Pet Care, will send you some treats and prizes.

This is a sponsored post from Eve Thompson of Reston Real Estate. For a more complete picture of home sales in your neighborhood, contact her on Reston Real Estate.

Thinking of selling in the spring? The time to start getting ready is now.

I don’t typically hold to the notion that one time of year is better for selling your home verses another. For as long as I’ve been selling real estate I have always had at least one transaction around the holidays, but conventional wisdom says that there is something magical about spring. That being said, as of today there are 55 days until spring, and unless you are a contender for the Martha Stewart award for home organization, the time to start working on your house for a spring listing is now.

When a seller takes seriously the job of preparing their home it takes much, much longer than they imagine. It’s not at all uncommon for the sorting, purging, cleaning and painting to take up to 2 months.

So what kinds of things should you be doing to get your home ready?

• I recommend that you start with the closets. I think my agent collogues would agree that a closet that is half full sends a much better message than one that if stuffed to the gills. Most of us hold on to all kinds of stuff for no better reason than we have the room for it, so be ruthless.
• Pre-packing: For things that you really do want to keep but that you don’t need ready access to, go ahead and pack it up in anticipation of your move.
• Deep cleaning. I cannot stress to a seller how critical this is, clean it from the baseboards to the light switches to the light fixtures.
• Knock off the old “To-do” list. That old light fixture you’ve been meaning to replace since you bought the place — do it now!
• A competitive market demands that you make your place stand out from the crowd, so get a jump on it now.

The housing inventory continues to be painfully low with just 78 active listing and 6 in a “Coming Soon” status. That is just under 1 months’ worth of housing inventory. The good news in those numbers is that pretty much everything that comes on the market is going to get a lot of attention — if you’ve taken the time to get it ready and you’ve priced your property competitively you could very well find yourself in a multiple contract situation.

If you have questions about buying or selling don’t hesitate to contact me.

This is a sponsored column by attorneys John Berry and Kimberly Berry of Berry & Berry, PLLC, an employment and labor law firm located in Northern Virginia that specializes in federal employee, security clearance, retirement and private sector employee matters.

By John V. Berry, Esq.

Employees in the Commonwealth of Virginia have a number of forums for potentially filing a sexual harassment complaint.

First, employees must determine whether the facts in their case constitute sexual harassment. The general definition of sexual harassment, according to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), is that it includes “unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical harassment of a sexual nature.”

The harassment victim can be either a woman or a man. Additionally, the harassment victim does not have to be of the opposite sex. That being said, sexual harassment does not always have to be of a sexual nature, however, and can include offensive remarks about a person’s gender/sex. Harassing an individual by making offensive comments about his or her gender can constitute sexual harassment.

Additionally, when more minor comments or teasing are made on a continuing basis, a hostile work environment based on sexual harassment can arise. Additional EEOC regulations and guidance on sexual harassment can be viewed here.

Harassment Complaints for Federal Employees in Virginia

For federal employees in Virginia, the usual method of filing an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) complaint alleging sexual harassment is to go through their federal agency’s EEO office within 45 days of the date of the harassment. This very short deadline can usually be satisfied by initiating contact directly with a federal EEO counselor. Federal agencies will provide contact information for federal EEO complaint counselors to federal employees.

The formal complaint process involving the claims of sexual harassment will follow thereafter if the matter is not resolved. There are also other less common routes for filing a federal employee sexual harassment complaint, such as filing a grievance (where permitted, but not usually recommended) and/or a complaint though the Office of Special Counsel (OSC), but these are usually not effective when compared to a federal employee’s options for filing an EEO complaint.

Harassment Complaints for Private Sector Employees in Virginia

For employees who are employed by private companies in Virginia, there are a number of potential options for filing a sexual harassment complaint depending on where they live and the size of their employer. A private sector employee employed by a company with 15 employees or more may file a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), which is the most common route for those employed by private companies. The deadline for doing so in Virginia is generally 180 days, which can be extended to 300 days due to a work-sharing agreement between Virginia and the EEOC.

A private sector employee can also usually file a sexual harassment complaint with the Virginia Division of Human Rights (DHR) if their employer has 6 to 14 employees, but less than 15. Additionally, if the matter involves a government contractor, a private sector employee can also file a harassment complaint with the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP), but this complaint process is rarely used.

Lastly, some counties and municipalities in Virginia have enacted harassment ordinances, such as Fairfax County and Arlington County, which also have procedures for filing complaints against employers. The deadlines for county filings can vary between 180 and 365 days depending on the county. In sum, it is important to figure out the correct forum and to file a claim well in advance of any deadlines.

Harassment Complaints for State Employees of the Commonwealth of Virginia

State employees who are employed by the Commonwealth of Virginia have somewhat different sexual harassment complaint options. These include the possibility of filing a complaint with the Virginia Department of Human Resource Management, Office of Equal Employment Opportunity Services (OEES) or the EEOC. The current Executive Order governing state employees was issued in 2014.  State employees should consult with an attorney before deciding which forum is best for their sexual harassment complaint.

Harassment Complaints for County and Local Employees in Virginia

Finally, employees of Virginia’s various counties and municipalities also have options for filing a sexual harassment complaint. They may typically file harassment complaints with the EEOC, or if covered by their county or municipality, a local claim. By far, the majority of county employees take their cases to the EEOC and then to the court, if their matter is not resolved.

Talk to an Attorney to Determine the Best Forum

It is very important to speak with an attorney before choosing a forum in which to file a sexual harassment complaint since the correct forum for filing complaints can vary based on the facts of the claim, location and size of the employer, and nature of the employer.

If you need assistance with filing a sexual harassment complaint, please contact our office at 703-668-0070 or at www.berrylegal.com to schedule a consultation. Please also visit and like us on Facebook.

No matter what industry you work in, technology is constantly changing. Companies are searching for candidates with new skillsets and experience with emerging technologies.

At Virginia Tech’s Northern Virginia Center, adjacent to the West Falls Church Metro station, an administrative team manages more than 600 online graduate students looking to develop new skills and fill gaps on their resume.

Virginia Tech developed its #4 nationally-ranked Master of Information Technology program (VT-MIT) in 1999 in response to a request by the Commonwealth of Virginia to help meet the growing demand for employees in the information technology field.

Since then, the 100% online program has kept pace with changes in technology, in both course delivery and course options.

Working professionals from across the country are taking the online courses at their own pace and designing a degree that works for their individual goals, whether they are a seasoned IT professional or looking to shift into a tech career.

VT-MIT currently offers 11 areas of specialization, including analytics and business intelligence, big data, cybersecurity, health information technology and software development.

The program also offers six graduate certificate options for professionals that are not looking to pursue a full degree.

VT-MIT plans to continue adding new courses and graduate certificates that keep up with current trends in tech, particularly as the wider university takes on a central role in the cybersecurity ecosystem.

Virginia Tech launched the Ballston-based Hume Center for National Security and Technology in 2010 and was tapped by the state in 2018 to lead its $25 million Commonwealth Cyber Initiative.

The university’s forthcoming Innovation Campus is expected to triple Virginia Tech’s footprint in the greater Washington, D.C., metropolitan area and become a magnet for leading tech talent, research and education.

For more information about Virginia Tech’s 100% online Master of Information Technology Program, visit vtmit.vt.edu or sign up for an upcoming information session.

Meet Carly, a brown and white Pit Bull mix available for adoption locally.

Here is what her friends at Lost Dog & Cat Rescue Foundation have to say about her:

Carly is a mini pittie with a zest for life! If you’re looking for a companion who will help keep you on your exercise plan, Carly is more than happy to ensure you stay motivated!

Carly loves to run around in playgroups with her doggie friends to help burn off her energy. She is already mastering the leash and is happy to go for miles and miles! But she is also happy to stop for petting breaks! Carly is very smart and knows “sit” with clear potential for learning more skills.

Carly is a sweet girl who just wants to make the most of life in every possible second. Seize the day with Carly and make her the latest adorable addition to your life today!

Are you and Carly a match? If so, let us know and our sponsor, Becky’s Pet Care, will send you some treats and prizes.

Meet Roxy, a brown female Weimaraner mix available fro adoption locally.

Here is what her foster family has to say about her:

Roxy is a sweet, affectionate gal and champion snuggler. She loves to run and play and adores toys, fetching balls and playing tug of war with her humans or canine siblings, but she’s also great at just relaxing and hanging out. She is a loyal companion who loves her people, always following them around and wanting to give hugs and kisses.

At the end of the day, she just wants to be with you on the couch or bed (and she has some truly hysterical sleeping positions!). Whether she’s snuggling up to her favorite person or playing with her fellow pups, this cutie has a great time. She’s incredibly smart, trainable and responsive to her name and correction, and she already knows words like “sit,” “stay,” “wait,” “look,” “leave it”, “find it”, “drop it”, “hug”, “place”, “down”, “off”, “crate”, “touch” and “come.” She is house trained and crate trained, although she’s so well behaved, she is rarely crated.

The best environment for Roxy would be a single family home with a fenced in yard in a quiet neighborhood. She finds the whole world extremely exciting and tends to get overwhelmed by a lot of stimulation. Therefore, she’d do best in a quieter suburban area where this is less action (apartment living would not be a good fit for Roxy). She could also do a townhome in a quiet neighborhood with a small yard (this is where she is now). She’d love to have a canine sibling, that is average energy and chill (she couldn’t do good with a dominant dog), but would also do okay as only dog, as long as she is adequately exercised.

Roxy gets a little nervous meeting new people, so this needs to be managed. Her excitement can sometimes be a little noisy at first, but she settles quickly and then wants to be everyone’s best friend. Young kids, however, make her especially nervous, so we recommend a home with no kids under 10.

Everyone that meets Roxy falls in love… however, she has only gotten applications from people in apartments or with small children, so she’s been in foster care for a year with no good fit. Could you use some Roxy in your life? She promises lots of love to whoever will love her.

Roxy also has her own Instagram @roxylotsoflove and can be found on Facebook.

Are you and Roxy a match? If so, let us know and our sponsor, Becky’s Pet Care, will send you some treats and prizes.

By Nicola Caul Shelley, Synergy Design & Construction

Ah, the Kitchen. The heart of the home and the place that no matter how great your main living area is, friends and family gather there on every social occasion.

It’s top of most homeowners’ wishlists when it comes to the space they’d like to remodel in their home. It’s a big investment, so whether you are planning a complete remodel or are just thinking of making a few updates, here are 5 kitchen remodeling trends worth keeping in mind.

1. Transitional Design Reigns Supreme

When it comes to design aesthetic, most of us don’t want a kitchen that is too futuristic and risks looking dated in a few short years. Transitional design is still a great go-to for many homeowners in this area who want their space to have classic elements but with modern flair. The beauty of transitional design is that it still feels warm and welcoming as well as being functional and family friendly. Want to learn more about transitional design? We’ve got you covered!

2. Cabinetry

It doesn’t have to be fully custom, but investing in a quality product when it comes to your kitchen cabinets can make or break your remodel. Many home remodeling companies in the area have relationships with cabinetry manufacturers. Each usually provides a number of cabinetry lines, so do your homework and make sure you understand what you’re getting. Semi-custom cabinetry is a great choice for a custom look without the price tag.

When it comes to cabinetry color, white is still a classic choice, but two toned kitchens are still on-trend as well as colorful pops of color like navy. We are also seeing the resurgence of wood and the introduction of more natural elements in design.

3. Pull-out Pantries

Gone are the days of the built-in pantry being a “must-have”. There’s nothing wrong with a beautiful pantry, but they take up a lot of square footage — not to mention things tend to get lost in them. Recently, a homeowner admitted to finding 25 year old cloves hidden at the back of her pantry! Pull-out cabinetry pantries are a great solution and keep your kitchen design modern and clean.

4. All about Lighting

With so many options out there now, lighting choice can be overwhelming. Pendants are still “in” and help to define a space (especially if you have an open plan kitchen and dining area), but the new pendant designs are more sculptural in look than their predecessors. The trend for lights that look jewelry-like started a while ago and that doesn’t look like it’s going to slow down any time soon.

5. Matching Backsplash and Countertops

There was a time when you’d never see the same materials used in both the countertop and backsplash, but no more! Using the same finish simplifies the design and gives a more contemporary vibe. Slab backsplashes are also increasingly popular, providing a dramatic but “fuss-free” look.

This month’s featured remodel is a Kitchen in Ashburn. This local family was ready to lighten things up in their kitchen! The result is a stunning transitional kitchen filled with design details galore and a large island with plenty of room for the family to gather.

Are you ready to kick start 2020 and finally do something about that home remodel you’ve been dreaming of? We’ve got you covered! Download our FREE guide to hassle-free remodeling to get started!

This is a sponsored column by attorneys John Berry and Kimberly Berry of Berry & Berry, PLLC, an employment and labor law firm located in Northern Virginia that specializes in federal employee, security clearance, retirement and private sector employee matters.

By Kimberly H. Berry, Esq.

With the new year, many businesses offer severance to certain employees as a way for both parties to make a new start in the new year.

Employees in Virginia are “at will,” which means they can be terminated at any time for any reason and severance is not typically required. When employment ends, however, an employer may offer a severance package to an employee in exchange for the employee’s waiver of rights.

However, employers, in the absence of an agreement or severance policy, generally have no obligation to provide employees severance pay. If severance pay is offered, an employer will require the employee to sign a Severance Agreement agreeing to a number of terms.

A Severance Agreement is a contract between the employee and an employer that provides end of employment terms between the employer and the employee. Severance Agreements are often offered in termination cases, but can also be offered to employees who are laid off or who are considering retirement.

Additionally, depending on the circumstances, a Severance Agreement may be offered to an employee who resigns or is terminated. A Severance Agreement must have something of value (also referred to as consideration) to which the employee is not already entitled to be enforceable.

Employers are generally required to provide an employee time to consider the Severance Agreement before signing. For instance, an employee usually has a 21-day consideration period to accept the Severance Agreement and at least a seven-day revocation period to revoke an employer’s Severance Agreement if the employee is 40 years or older.

Severance agreements usually contain far more than just compensation terms. They can include any number of agreements. Some examples of possible terms in a Severance Agreement follow:

• Reference Information
• Financial terms, the timing of severance payments and potential tax information
• Continuation of health benefits
• Unemployment compensation benefits
• Waiver of claims against an employer (e.g. whistleblower, discrimination)
• Confidentiality (e.g. neither side will reveal the terms of the agreement)
• Non-Disparagement (e.g. neither side will say negative things about the other)
• The possibility of re-employment
• Non-competition agreements
• Preservation of trade secrets

Severance Agreements will always include a general release or waiver that prohibits the former employee from filing a lawsuit against his or her employer for wrongful termination. Before an employee signs a Severance Agreement, he or she should consult with an attorney to discuss the rights that he or she may be waiving and the terms of the Severance Agreement.

If you need assistance with a severance agreement or other employment matter, please contact our office at (703) 668-0070 or at www.berrylegal.com to schedule a consultation. Please also visit and like us on Facebook.

Meet Harley, a white/cream Great Pyrenees male available for adoption locally.

Here is what his friends at National Great Pyrenees Rescue have to say about him:

Harley is an adult Great Pyrenees couch potato who gives a great Pyr Paw. This boy has great house manners and is content to take naps and hang with his person.

Harley thinks his hair cut is cute but wants us to tell you that it will grow back long and beautiful to look like the regal boy he is inside! Harley was so matted, cutting his hair was the only way to remove them. Harley prefers to go outside to do his business and then come right back in the house.

Harley is currently living with other dogs but would be content to be an only dog or perhaps a companion for a senior dog. He loves attention and would not be sad if he had somebody to pet him all day long! Harley will play with other dogs and his people and is gentle and well-behaved. He was very gentle when he met a child who came to visit. Like most Great Pyrenees, Harley will bark at a leaf when it tries to attack!

Are you and Harley a match? If so, let us know and our sponsor, Becky’s Pet Care, will send you some treats and prizes.

Since 1969, Virginia Tech has served local residents, government and industry in the greater Washington, D.C., metro area.

While the planned Innovation Campus in Alexandria is anticipated to triple Virginia Tech’s local footprint, it already boasts more than 45 graduate degree and certificate programs, as well as many laboratories and research centers, spread across the region from Arlington to Leesburg.

Among those degree offerings, the Pamplin College of Business offers two different MBA program options that serve working professionals looking to advance their careers without leaving the workforce.

The Executive MBA offers an accelerated, cohort-based option for mid-career professionals. Students meet bi-monthly for weekend classes at the Virginia Tech Research Center in Ballston.

The experiential learning curriculum focuses on strategic management in a global environment with an emphasis on leadership and governance, business analytics, entrepreneurship and innovation, and globalization.

The Evening MBA program option provides students with maximum flexibility by allowing them to start in January or August, decide their own course load each semester, and focus their studies in one of ten specialization areas.

Classes take place at the Virginia Tech Northern Virginia Center, which is adjacent to the West Falls Church Metro station and convenient to I-495 and I-66.

In 2019, the Evening MBA program was named one of the top 20 part-time MBA programs nationwide by U.S. News & World Report for a fifth consecutive year.

Graduates of both the Executive and Evening MBA programs create lasting professional connections and join the university’s vast alumni network in the D.C. metro area to help advance their careers both now and in the future.

To learn more about the Virginia Tech MBA Programs, visit mba.vt.edu or register to attend an upcoming information session.